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Cougars Looking To Conquer Waves, Lions On California Trip

This Week: Washington State (6-1-0) travels to Pepperdine Friday, Sept. 27, and Loyola Marymount Sunday, Sept. 29 for a pair of non-conference matches...the Cougars are coming off a split of last weekend's contests, losing their first match of the season to No. 24 Utah and downing Gonzaga 8-0...with eight goals against Gonzaga Sunday, the Cougars become just the second squad in program history to score eight or more goals in a match twice in the same season.

Scouting the Waves: Pepperdine (6-0-2) will meet the Cougars for first time Friday in Malibu...the Waves are ranked No. 18 in this week's Soccer Times Top 25 poll...Pepperdine has a balanced offensive attack, featuring four players with 10 or more points through eight contests this season...junior forward Lacey Ubaldi leads the team with 14 points, including five goals, while sophomore Ali Pavoni has racked up 13 points on six goals and one assist...the Waves have given up more than one goal in only one match this season, a 2-2 tie with William and Mary Sept. 20.

Scouting the Lions: Loyola Marymount (5-2-0) looks to be improved over its 7-10-0 record of a year ago...the Lions only losses have come against No. 10 Wake Forest and Cal Poly...LMU features a stingy defense, allowing only six goals through seven matches...senior goalkeeper Elizabeth Skahl carries a 0.70 goals against average into the weekend...the Lions have received a goal or assist from nine different players this season, with freshman Kelly Lewandowski leading the team with three goals...Sunday's meeting will be the first since 1994, and just the second all-time...Washington State defeated the Lions 2-0 in that match.

Cougar Coaching Staff: Head Coach Dan Tobias is now in his fifth year at the helm and guided Washington State to the NCAA Tournament in 2000...Tobias has tallied 39 wins in the first four years of his tenure, putting him in second for career victories at WSU... the former Cal Poly standout player and assistant is the third coach in the 14-year history of the Cougar soccer program...assistant Curtis McAlister is in his fourth year on the Palouse and works primarily on defensive organization and with the goalkeepers...his presence was a huge factor during WSU's run to the postseason in 2000, as the Cougars allowed only 19 goals in 21 matches...Oregon native Lisa Oyen begins her second season on the staff...the four-year letterwinner at the University of Montana coordinates summer camps and brings a wealth of playing experience to the program.

Hot Start: By streaking to five wins to start the season, the 2002 Cougars are the owners of the best start in school history...During those five matches, WSU outscored its opponents 16-2...the Cougars are now eyeing the best 10-match start in school history, which belongs to Dan Tobias' 2000 team, which shot out to an 8-2 start and ended up in the NCAA Tournament.

Defense Never Rests: Though Washington State is averaging a solid 3.42 goals per game in 2002, its defensive efforts have been the cornerstone of a 6-1-0 start...the Cougars have given up only 20 shots on goal (2.85 per game) resulting in just five goals (0.714 per game)...WSU has also guarded closely against the corner kick, allowing just eight all season...junior goalkeeper Sara Leibowitz is sporting a 0.70 goals against average in 517 minutes of play, including three solo shutouts and a shared shutout with Katie Hultin against Gonzaga...Leibowitz is tied for fifth all-time at WSU with five career shutouts.

Last Week In The Pac-10: Arizona lost to San Diego (3-0)...Arizona State defeated San Diego (2-0) and Nevada-Las Vegas (3-0)...California knocked off Fresno State (4-1)...Oregon split its matches this weekend, losing to Pacific (4-0) and upending Wisconsin-Green Bay (4-2)...Oregon State swept Wisconsin-Green Bay (4-1) and Pacific (1-0)...Stanford remained unbeaten with victories over Oklahoma (4-0) and No. 21 Florida (4-0)...UCLA beat Fresno State (3-0) and Cal State Northridge (4-0)...USC defeated Brigham Young (1-0) in a rare Saturday match...Washington swept Harvard (3-1) and UC Irvine (3-0)...The Pac-10 is 44-16-10 in non-conference play, including an impressive 14-3-0 last weekend.

Class of 2000: Washington State's freshmen class of 2000 features eight players that have been significant contributors during their first two-and- a half seasons at Washington State... Defenders Mariette Boyce and Shay Hobby, forward/midfielders Jessica Allen, Kim Morgan, Jenna Wirtz, and Rachel Rodrick, and goalkeeper Sara Leibowitz are all expected to be integral pieces to squad this season as WSU will be shooting for a second postseason appearance in three years.

Starting Experience: Head Coach Dan Tobias will rely on a wealth of experience in the starting lineup in 2002....The Cougars return 16 starters who had a combined 275 career matches started under their belts prior to the first contest of 2002...There are also still eight players who competed in the 2000 NCAA Tournament...Junior stalwarts Mariette Boyce, Shay Hobby, Kim Morgan, and Rachel Rodrick have combined to start 172 matches and score 71 points.

Senior Midfielder Katrina Stroh In The Record Books: Federal Way, Wash., native Katrina Stroh has established herself as one of the best players ever to wear a Cougar uniform during her first three years in Pullman, and is looking to add to that legacy this season...Stroh's 20 career goals is third on the WSU all-time list, while her 14 assists is third...The Decatur High School graduate is also third in career points with 54.

Junior Rachel Rodrick In The Record Books: Just past the midpoint of her Washington State career, junior forward Rachel Rodrick is climbing quickly up the school career records list...With a goal and an assist against Gonzaga Sept. 22, the Curtis High School graduate moved to fourth in career goals with 15, and is fifth in points with 39...Rodrick is also tied for third in multiple goal matches with four, and recorded her first career hat trick against Eastern Washington in 2001.

Cougars vs. Top 25 Opponents: WSU's loss to No. 24 Utah Sept. 20 marked the programs 54th match against a top 25 opponent all-time...In those matches, WSU has come away with the win 10 times while tying on five occasions...Aside from the victory over No. 2 Washington in the 2000 regular season finale, WSU owns two other victories over top 10 teams...In 1993, under the direction of Lisa Fraser, the Cougars upset No. 6 Stanford in Pullman...In 1994, the Cougs opened what would become an NCAA Tournament season by defeating Connecticut 2-1...Fraser helped WSU achieve their highest ranking in the national polls in 1993, peaking at No. 11 on Sept. 12.

Cougs On The Tube: The Washington State soccer program is no stranger to television coverage...Cougar matches have appeared on television a total of 26 times, 19 on Prime Sports Northwest and seven on Fox Sports Northwest...WSU soccer debuted on the tube Oct. 5, 1990 with a 4-0 win over Seattle Pacific. Possibly the most memorable television appearance came in 1991 as the Cougars took 58 shots on goal en route to a 15-0 blowout of Gonzaga. Dan Tobias went 2-1 in his first season at WSU on television, including a 1-0 overtime win against Washington on Fox Sports Northwest...The most recent appearance on Fox Sports Northwest was Nov. 9 of last season, a 2-2 draw with Oregon State that ended in near darkness in Pullman...The Cougars are scheduled to play Arizona State on Fox Sports Northwest Nov. 1.